Meet one of midtown’s brightest new stars: muralist Stephen Baner.

With the stroke of his brush, the new Marshall School neighborhood resident has captured an image that many thought was lost to midtown the old Alhambra Theatre. The theater, which was built in 1927, was demolished in 1974 after the failure of a bond measure that was proposed to support its preservation.

Bauer is drawing praise from the art community and residents alike for his sentimental image of a young boy waving farewell to the old Alhambra Theater, depicted in all of its glory across a once-blank wall on 25th Street, between J and K streets.

The mural is the first to be painted for the Midtown Murals Project, which was partially paid for by donations from residents and business owners.

Bauer said the boy is a metaphor for many area residents who grew up going to the theater.

Acrylic paints tinted in orange and bright yellow were used generously in the portrayal of the art deco-style theater. This was done intentionally. Bauer said.

"I know it had been painted several times throughout its history." Bauer said. "The yellow-orange cast I gave to it was based on a postcard."

But the use of color goes deeper than that.

The entire image of the wall is indicative of a lot of the old fruit labels.’ Bauer said. The era 1 wanted to convey was contemporary to the theater itself."

The citris color, theme also ties into the theater’s old orange grove that was located north of the building, Bauer said.

Bauer, a free-lance restorationist for the Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpaper Company in Benicia, works mainly on restoring the interior walls of old buildings. Since he joined the company in 1982, he has worked on Victorians, craftsman-style homes and some art deco public buildings.

On his own, he has also done ornate interior stenciling and ornamental projects, including a federal building in Wichita, Kan., and the restoration of a 1931 Fox Theater in Hutchinson, Kan.

Napa resident Bruce Bradbury of Bradbury and Bradbury, called Bauer "a genius" designer.

"He’s just incredibly talented," Bradbury said. "He used to sit around and sketch houses and stuff."

Bradbury said Bauer is particularly gifted in designing interiors mimicking the 19th century.

Bauer, 35, and his wife, Lisa, 28, moved to Sacramento a year ago from the Midwest to be closer to Lisa’s family and are refurbishing ~

fourplex. Before choosing midtown, they lived in the south area.

"We’re both in love with midtown," Bauer said. "It’s very pedestrian-friendly. You can walk to a lot of places and enjoy the walk."

Bauer said that he was approached by many an inquisitive midtown resident as he worked on the mural.

"They were all excited about having that image here," Bauer said. "A lot of younger people hadn’t seen what it looked like before .. I think the colors excited them, too. The wall before pretty much went unnoticed. I think the transformation was pretty dramatic to a lot of people."

He said many people blamed the Safeway grocery store chain for the theater’s demise.

"Safeway wasn’t at fault, though," Bauer said, after doing his research. "There was the bond issue that was put before voters and the voters allowed it to be torn down."

Bauer was one of 15 qualifying semifinalists and then was one of two finalists before being chosen to do the mural, said Midtown Murals Project coordinator James Cooper.

"His experience, his style, his talent was exceptional," Cooper said. "His enthusiasm was also very apparent."

Bauer was selected by the Midtown Murals Project’s selection committee: Boulevard Park resident and midtown business owner Paul

Harriman; Jim Tanovitz, own the midtown art supply store At Ellis; Denise Evangelista, owner the midtown gift store Choices I local artist and midtown reside Gar Ugalde; artist and midtown resident Pamela Zwiefel, owner’

midtown’s How Tacky; and r midtown graphic artist Richard Hansen.

The Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission facilitated the selection process by announcing need for the mural artist and

handling applications.

"The impact I hope it has is trying to remind people of some of the treasures the community has had",

Bauer said. "I hope to encourage people to take care of their community and theirneighborhoods."

Cooper said the project committee seeks to firm up plans for another midtown mural project for next year. .

"We are very interested in talking to building owners about their buildings as potential sites," Cooper said. "And we are still interested having artists contact us.’ Cooper can be reached at 448-8517.